


A Grim Tale

by Anonymous_Vermin_Invader



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Game)
Genre: Alchemy, Angst, Dark, Gen, Ghost is in denial, Grimm troupe, Necromancy, Oneshot, Quirrel is dead, Troupe!Quirrel, grimm dark :3, i hate this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-13
Updated: 2017-11-13
Packaged: 2019-02-01 17:25:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12709512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonymous_Vermin_Invader/pseuds/Anonymous_Vermin_Invader
Summary: Ghost knew Quirrel was gone.They  knew when they had sat down beside him by the blue lake that it would be the last time they would see him.Ghost knew, and yet did nothing to stop it. There was nothing the young Knight could do. So why did it hurt so much?





	A Grim Tale

_Shadows dream of endless fire. Flames devour and embers swoop. One will light the Nightmare Lantern. Call and serve in Grimm’s dread Troupe._

Ghost knew Quirrel was gone.

They knew when they had sat down beside him by the blue lake that it would be the last time they would see him. 

Ghost knew, and yet did nothing to stop it. There was nothing the young Knight could do. So why did it hurt so much? Upon revisiting the edge of the Blue Lake, and seeing his lance imbedded into the dock, Ghost did the one thing that vessels were never meant to do.  
They cried out in suffering. An abyssal shriek that caused the very cavern to shake, and the surface of the lake to ripple as the water recoiled from the sheer intensity of their grief. 

When the Knight had returned to this ruined corpse of a kingdom, they had known nothing about what it had once been, nor what it all meant. Quirrel had been the one to enlighten them; to act as not only the little Ghost’s guide, but also their fellow adventurer as they combed Hallownest for its secrets. Ghost knew nothing of the kingdom of which had birthed them, they didn’t understand. Quirrel helped them understand.

And now, Quirrel was gone.

But the cries of the vessel’s cursed sibling continued to call them; the infection continued to fester and bleed its wretched light. The young Knight still had a destiny to fulfill, a role to play, they needed to keep moving forward. But the pain was still there, and eventually, it hardened into something that they were familiar with...something that burned, yet at the same time, felt so terribly cold...

Fury.

***

_A spark of red lights darkest dream. Scarlet nightmares bright and wild. Visions dance and flames do speak. Burn the father, feed the child._

The Nightmare lantern was lit. The Grimm Troupe was summoned.

Ghost stood before the fabled Grimm master himself -- dark, void-filled eyes staring into blazing crimson. The harsh whispering voice of Grimm regaled them about their supposed _role_ in this scarlet Ritual. How it was the Knight, as the one who had summoned them, that must gather the scarlet flames for the Grim child to consume.

“Eager we are to see you commence--eh?” Grimm eyed the vessel, apparently noticing its inattention of his rehearsed spiel as it openly looked around the room. “Are you not listening? This is not something that should be taken lightly, my fr--”

“ **No.** ” The vessel spoke -- not through a voice, but through the void of which their kind were united.

“No?” Grimm repeated incredulously, his eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. This would not do. “Hahaheh, oh naive child, as soon as you lit the lantern your role in this performance was cast. One does not simply refuse to participate in the Grimm Troupe’s Ritual.”

“ **And simple our refusal is not.** ” It replied, Its eyes locked onto his. “ **Nightmare King. Can you...bring a bug back from the dead?** ” It asked, almost hesitantly; pleadingly. It was only a hunch; Ghost had no idea if any being was even capable of bringing someone back to life, but they were grasping at straws, and had no other ideas.

Troupe Master Grimm paused, tilting his head with intrigue before his eyes suddenly widened with realization. “Ahhh, I see now! Well met, small one. So, you seek to bring back what was lost; revive someone dear to your heart.” Grimm gave a hoarse chuckle. “Death is not so easily reversed, my friend. A dark and potent power is required to do such a deed, that of which I may posses -- but why should the Troupe aid you in such a folly against nature itself?” 

“ **If you do as we request, we shall play the part needed for your Ritual.** ” Ghost responded evenly, “ **If you refuse to comply, we will not hesitate to banish the troupe from these lands.** ” 

Grimm’s eyes flashed red and he let out a scathing hiss, glowering down at the small Knight, wishing that he could crush the little wretch for its insolence; this discarded vessel that was bold enough to attempt a bargain with the Heart of the Grimm troupe. But Grimm and his kin couldn’t retrieve the scarlet flames on their own, they needed a third party-- the summoner -- to retrieve them. 

This, the young Knight knew.

“Very well,” Grimm finally conceded with a low bow. “But in order to do as you request, we must harvest the flames of this kingdom.” With a snap of his fingers, a small flying creature suddenly appeared into existence. The Grimm child. “My child shall guide you to the flame and gather within itself the burning essence. Seek out my kin; claim their flame and return to me. Do this, and your beloved shall be returned to you.”

And so the bargain was made.

***  
_Dance and die and live forever. Silent voices shout and sing. Stand before the Troupe’s dark heart..._

One fetch quest and a series of alchemical pentagrams later, and the deed was done.

“ **This will bring Quirrel back?** ” The little Ghost asked, standing at the edge of a chalk-drawn pentagram on the floor. Nightmare kin floated ready at each point of the star, each held a torch with red fire flickering atop. 

“Hm?” Grimm glanced down at the vessel, “Ah, yes. That is the name of your lost beloved, I presume?”  
“ **Quirrel was our friend...** ” Ghost replied softly. “ **We want Quirrel back.** ”

Grimm tilted their head, eyeing the small vessel with an unreadable expression, before looking at the pentagram again. “Whichever is the case, you shall have what you desire soon enough.” 

With a snap of the Master’s fingers, the room suddenly became saturated with dark energies, as the Nightmare King’s eyes glowed a blinding red light. The kin holding the torches began to chant in a strange escalating rhythm as their torches burned brighter and brighter. The center of the pentagram began to swirl with dust blown by an unfelt wind, crackling with electricity and coalescing into a mote of crimson light that steadily began to grow and change, and Ghost watched--unable to tear their eyes away despite the blinding light-- as the crimson flames began to shift into a vaguely familiar form. The young Knight’s breath catching in their throat, could it really be--

There was a sudden clash and a bang as all the energies in the room finally snapped into their designated purposes, and leaving behind a charred crater on the floor in the center of the now ruined pentagram. The torches clattered to the floor as the kin dissipated, and Grimm slumped slightly with the exertion of power needed to successfully alchemize living being. “The deed is done.”

Ghost stared. At the center of the crater was the form of a bug slowly getting to their feet, wobbling slightly before turning to face the young Knight. 

“Ah, hello...small friend...it’s good to see you...” the voice was almost wistful, lacking the animated life that Ghost found unique to Quirrel’s personality.

Something inside of Ghost twisted painfully at the sight of what was suppose to be Quirrel in front of them.

He was... different. The shell along the bug’s back was darker and the eye holes of his mask were slit through with the traditional marks of those the Grimm troupe bore, and his movements were mechanical; like a doll imitating life.

A part deep within the Ghost’s shade congealed, shuddering with horror at what they had done. This wasn’t Quirrel. This wasn’t right. The young Knight had only wanted their dear friend back, not this! 

Ghost felt their thoughts being swallowed into an expanding pit of nothing; leaving only a hollow feeling of numb emptiness. Their denial had finally collapsed, and as they stared at the mockery of Quirrel, they were forced to face the cold, immutable fact. Quirrel was dead, and nothing would bring him back.

“As you can see,” Grimm interrupted impatiently. “Your beloved friend has been raised from the dead and brought back to you. Now you must adhere to your part of the bargain, and complete the Ritual.”

_Burn away the Nightmare King..._

The young Knight turned slowly around, away from the alchemized Quirrel copy, and stared up at the master of the Grimm Troupe, eyes completely devoid of emotion. Yes, Ghost would do as Grimm asked. They would feed the child, and burn the father...

They were going to make sure to _burn_ the Nightmare King in hell.

**Author's Note:**

> Well.... that just happened. Hm. I, uh, don't really know what to say. this fic is bad.


End file.
